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Foreign National Giving Birth in the CR

Once a child is born, the maternity hospital reports the birth to the local civil registry office. The civil registry office issues a document called a birth certificate for the child. The birth certificate is not a residence entitlement.

Residence permit for a foreign national child born in the territory of the CR

If you plan to stay in the CR for more than 60 days after the child’s birth, you need to apply for a residence permit for your child within 60 days from the birth.

A foreign national child is granted the same type of residence permit (short-term visa, long-term visa, long-term residence, permanent residence) as their parent living in the same household. If each of the parents has a different type of residence, their child may be granted either of the two, based on the parent’s decision.

We recommend that you apply for the more advantageous residence permit. If, for example, one of the parents has a long-term residence permit and the other one has permanent residence permit in the CR, it is better for them to apply for permanent residence for their child.

If the child is a citizen of the European Union or a family member of an EU citizen, it is not necessary to apply for residence permit on behalf of the child. It is up to you, whether you apply for a Certificate of temporary residence of an EU citizen (providing that the child remains in the territory of the CR for more than 3 months after the birth) or for the permanent residence permit (providing that the child’s parent has also been granted permanent residence). The advantage of applying for permanent residence within 60 days from the child’s birth is that the child is automatically accepted into the public health insurance system from the moment of birth.

If one of the parents is a Czech citizen, the child automatically acquires citizenship of the Czech Republic. There is no need to apply for it.

For information on health care for pregnant foreign nationals and children of foreign nationals, see the chapter Health Care System in the CR.

Determination of Paternity and Child Maintenance Duty

The general rule is that the mother’s husband is considered the father of the child. If the parents are not married, paternity must be established by a declaration before a civil registry office or a court. Within 6 months from the birth of the child, one of the parents may also petition the court to determine paternity.

Parents are obliged by law to support their children until they are capable of sustaining themselves. This duty does not cease by the child’s reaching a specific age but usually by the completion of their studies or vocational training. If one of the parents neglects their duty to maintain the child, the other parent or the child may petition the court.

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